A 5-year-old girl and her family in Liberty County, Texas are devastated and seeking justice after they woke up to find their pet pony, Chicken Nugget, shot to death in his pen.

Rylee Brett has known Chicken Nugget since she was born, her mom, Kylee Brett said on Thursday.

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"They grew up together, and Chicken Nugget was her first love," Kylee said of her daughter.

Now, Kylee and her husband, Kade Brett, are left trying to console their child and wondering how someone could walk up to a horse pen in the middle of the night and shoot a pony in the head at close range.

"There is no mistaking that they did it out of hatred," Kylee said. She said the family had received no answers on Thursday afternoon.

Liberty County Game Warden Jake Noxon is looking into the case, the Liberty County Sheriff's Office said Thursday. Noxon was not immediately available to comment.

The Brett family lives on a family ranch in Hull, Texas, a large property with several homes.

Chicken Nugget was in his pen at the home of Kylee's father-in-law, John Brett, early Wednesday, Nov. 8, when the shooting occurred.

John woke up Wednesday and found Chicken Nugget dead when he went to check on the horse.

Kylee said the family has had Chicken Nugget for eight years, since the horse was a foal. He was meant to be a therapy horse, but Chicken Nugget had dwarfism and was too fragile for that kind of work.

His disability didn't stop him from playing with Rylee, though. Kylee added that the horse would let the little girl sit on his back when she was a baby, and was able to pull Rylee around in a little push car.

Chicken Nugget was also well-known around town, Kylee said. She hopes that sharing the pony's story will help law enforcement determine who shot him.